Persona 4: Out of the Shadows
by PainPunMachine
Summary: When a young student transferred to the small town of Inaba, he expected a peaceful stay and a boring student life. He definitely didn't expect a murder mystery, romance, and family revelations. This is the tale of Takuya Akiyama, the man that took his designed fate and made it's own one. A P4 retelling with more romance, more nonsense and more GARness! P4/P3 AU with a few changes
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-made story. The Persona Series and characters are property of Atlus.**

* * *

><p><strong>The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed...<strong>

**This is the tale of the man that dispelled the fog of deceit and a man that created a new destiny for himself.**

_May 6__th__, 2012_

_Unknown location._

"TRISMEGISTUS!" The shout resonated in the air as the Persona destroyed a dozen Shadows with a single blow. But where those Shadows had been, now twice as many stood.

Taking the initiative they launched their attack towards the cap wearing Persona wielder, who managed to defeat a bunch of them; but now severely wounded, he could do nothing as the Shadows prepared to finish him…

"CAESAR!" But the red cloak wearing Persona user managed to defeat those Shadows, only to see that even more were making their way towards the group.

"ISIS!" The pink obsessed Persona user shouted, her Persona healing the wounds of the wielder of Trismegistus. "How many are more there!?"

"Daring Gigas', Fierce Cyclops, Minotaurs…" The redhead Ice magic user said. "This powerful Shadows…" She was saying as another Persona user came up behind them.

He was wearing a long, navy blue trench coat without any type of shirt underneath, showing his torso. On his neck there was a necklace with a ring and a bullet…

"Finally! Some worthy opponents!" He said as he looked at the army of Shadows.

"Strategy?" Another Persona user said, with a slightly robotic tone.

"We kick their ass!" The trench coat wearing boy said.

"Some brilliant strategy you have…" Isis' user said.

"Trismegistus, Pallas Athena and Caesar on frontal attack! Isis and Artemisia, stay behind them for healing and support! I'll stay in the back to protect Juno! If you need support just say the word!" He announced as he went next to the user of the group's support Persona.

"You heard the Leader!" Artemisia's owner said as the group charged into battle, surprising the Shadows.

"If you thought we were gonna retreat…" The leader began saying, smile creeping on his face.

…

"YOU'VE GOT NO IDEA WHO YOU'RE DEALING WITH!

TSUKUYOMI-NO-OKAMI!"

**Persona: Out of the Shadows**

_**Chapter 1: You've got no idea who you're dealing with.**_

_June 5th, 2011_

_Yasoinaba station._

_1st person POV_

"Yasoinaba…Yasoinaba…Yaso…"

The train station announcer had just let the passengers know that we had finally arrived at our destination. I left the train (the third one I had to take) and made my way to the town. At least I think it was the town, I could barely see anything with the fog.

"…_Am I in a horror movie?…when's the fog monster going to appear from nowhere and tear me to shreds!? "_

I had just been transferred here from the city of Iwatodai, so the change from that crowded city to a small rural town was definitely noticeable, but while some of my old friends would be disappointed with the apparent lack of crowd in the area, I was more upset with the fact that I would have to be extra careful when on the job, as there would be easier to look for culprits.

…I think I should probably introduce myself now, right?

My name is Takuya Akiyama.

**TAKUYA "CRINGEWORTHY PUN MACHINE" AKIYAMA**

**-Age: 15**

**-Height: 1, 73 cm tall ( 5' 7'')**

**-Weight: 56 kg (123.5 lbs)**

**-Zodiac: Cancer.**

**-Favourite colour: Red.**

**-Least favourite colour: Green.**

**-Favourite food: Cherry. **

**-Least favourite food: Weird Takoyaki.**

**-Favourite Music: J-Rock.**

**-Least favourite Music: Electronic.**

**-Favourite Movie Genre: Supernatural/ Drama/Sci-fi. Also secretly Romance.**

**-Least Favourite Fictional Genre: Shonen.**

**-Signature moves/traits:**

**-Charm mode.**

**-Convoluted, pointless and useless planning.**

**-Runs on pure hotbloodedness.**

**-Major weakness to cute, red haired teenage idols and girls in maid outfits.**

I'm a soon to be first year student from Yasogami I said before, I just transferred from Iwatodai. I was supposed to enter Gekkoukan High this year but my foster parents decided to send me to another high school because of a certain incident last year…an incident involving a deceased sister. The people I lived with thought it would be better to have me study in any place other than the school were my sister died…stupid, in my opinion, but still, I thought a small town would be a good place to relax and lay low for a while.

If you are asking yourself what I mean by "laying low"…let's just say I had a certain hobby that involved relieving people of their valuables. I spent most of my childhood in an orphanage with my sister, and in that place," the strong prey on the weak", as they say, so I came up with a way of getting rid of any inconveniences. Whenever someone tried to act tough around Hamu-chan, valuable possessions of our teachers would appear in that person's locker. The potential bullies ended up thinking twice before trying something…but that didn't stop me. There was something addictive about the theft, and as I grew older, things just escalated from there. I even started to record every TV special about my thefts…not the smartest thing to do, but my ego didn't mind.

So part of me was glad when I heard I was transferring to small, quiet Inaba…but another part of me made a list of potential targets(that inn certainly look worth the time)

"_Man I'm so beat…three train rides sure take out your energy fast"_

I walked to my new home, quickly unpacked my things and went to bed.

"_So Mitsuru-senpai has problems with me going to the high school of my dead sister, but she doesn't have problems with me living ALONE here…isn't there any kind of law against this?...Man,I could sleep for an entire day right now…It's so great that I have school tomorrow!"_

**The next day….**

_June 6__th__, 2011_

_Takuya's house_

"CRAP! I'M LATE!" I shouted as I quickly got dressed, ate breakfast and started to go towards the school, all at the same time.

So preoccupied I was with my things that I accidentally bumped into someone, making both of us fall.

"Watch where you're going, you clumsy son of a-!"

Son of a bitch, I have in front of me the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life!

She was wearing the female uniform of Yasogami High (yes!), her hair was dark red and tied into twin ponytails, and all in all…she was drop dead GORGEOUS.

"Sorry about that!" She said, her voice pouring into my ears like honey." Oh, hey! We have the uniform from the same school!"

"Y-Yeah! I just transferred here, actually!" I answered her as we stood up. I tried to give her a cool guy smirk as I said it.

"Oh, me too!" She said as she stretched her hand to me. "It's nice to meet you!"

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss!" I answered as I took her hand. At that moment, a student shouting "I'm late!" raced past us, pushing her towards me. I took her in my arms. When she realised it, she looked deep into my eyes, her cheeks now red.

Our faces slowly began to gravitate towards each other, until…

"CRAP, IT WAS A DREAM!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I woke up.

"CURSE YOU ALARM CLOCK!" It was probably my fault for not turning the damn thing on, but I was too busy trying to eat breakfast, get dressed and get out of house in record time to think rationally.

I exited the house to find two teenagers (more or less my age) running across the street.

"Oh man, I'm late I'm late I'm late…" The brown haired boy wearing headphones was saying as he ran through the street. "This is all your fault, Chie!"

"How is it my fault!?" The brown haired girl with the green jacket said, closely behind him.

"Maybe we wouldn't be so late if you hadn't stopped at Souzai Daigaku to buy steak!"

"But I had to eat something for breakfast!"

"Then why didn't you eat breakfast before leaving home!?"

"There wasn't any meat at home." The girl with the green jacket said as it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"HOW MUCH OF A CARNIVORE ARE YOU!?"

"I have to agree with Headphones." I said as I approached them. "You eating steak while running to school breaks the long tradition of eating a slice of bread while shouting 'I'm late' " I explained as I continued to eat the noodles I was having for breakfast.

"SOME GREAT EXAMPLE YOU AR-wait, who are you!?" Headphones said.

"Oh man, you're right…" Green Jacket said as she ignored Headphones. "I should have brought some bread…"

"Well, if you are lucky you might crash into hello with a handsome transfer student from your opposite gender." I told her.

"I doubt it." She answered me with a sigh. "Yu-kun always arrives early at school."

"CAN WE HURRY UP INSTEAD OF TALKING ABOU-wait…". Headphones' expression changed from an angry one to a teasing one. "What was that about Yu?"

"CAN WE HURRY UP INSTEAD OF TALKING ABOUT THIS!". Green jacket said as she quickened her pace, leaving us behind.

After a few minutes of running, we finally arrived at school; we quickly started to go to our respective classroom without even saying goodbye.

_Kanji's perspective_

_Yasogami High school;_

_Classroom 1-2_

Kashiwagi quickly got into class a bit after I arrived. She seemed enthusiastic for some reason.

"Well class, I hope you can behave quietly for once. The new transfer student from the city will be arriving today (_He should be here already, hopefully he's cute)"_

"Another transfer student from the city? I hope we get a cute girl, that would be a nice chance of pace." Some guy behind me whispered way too loudly for my liking.

"I think you mean a cute boy would be the change of pace… but he's going to have a hard time competing with Narukami-senpai!" The chick next to the guy said; again, WAY to loud for my liking, and with an annoying giggle.

"_Man, Senpai sure has a lot of stalkers."_

As I looked around the class, I noticed how everyone was busy talking about the new conversations could be summarized with "I hope he/she is cute".

It's times like this that I'm glad the seat next to me is empty. No one there to annoy me.

And then the door of the classroom opened.

"Oh, there you are (_Well, what do we have here) _This is the new transfer student, please introduce yourself." Kashiwagi said, while containing a grin.

"With pleasure…" The guy muttered before facing us."**[BGM:SexyBack]**I'm Takuya Akiyama, nice to meet you all." …so that was the new guy, huh?

He certainly had the whole "city boy" thing Senpai had. He was wearing the regular Yasogami uniform, with a chain on his belt and with his jacket tied to his waist with its sleeves, and instead of the normally white shirt he wore a black one with its sleeves rolled up and the collar up as well. You could easily tell he could not care the slightless about school uniforms, but then again the same could be said about me. He was pale as snow, was a bit shorter than Yosuke-senpai, had really freaky looking red eyes, and his slightly long dark blue hair covered his ears, but I could faintly see what appeared to be headphones trough it. Hiding headphones with his hair…yep, he wasn't very interested in class as well.

"Well, Akiyama-kun, let me be the first one to welcome you to Yasogami High. You're gonna love it here". Kashiwagi said ( putting to much emphasis on the"love it" part) just before a familiar muffled voice came from the classroom upstairs.

"EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS A WHORE!"

The class stayed silent for a few seconds, after which the new guy whistled.

"Ignore that, Akiyama-kun. Probably some random student." Kashiwagi said, making the new guy scratch the back of his head.

"That sounded like and adult tough"

"PLEASE TAKE SEAT IMMEDIATELY" Kashiwagi said in a commanding, yet not to loud voice.

"Fine…jeez" The new guy muttered before making his way towards the students, looking for a seat.

"Wow, he's up there with Narukami-senpai…" The annoying chick behind me muttered now that the new guy was more visible.

"Great, more competition…." Her annoying friend answered.

Is everyone just thinking about the same thing?

I was so distracted by those annoying idiots that I didn't notice the new guy standing next to me.

"Is this seat taken?" He asked me with a bored expression.

"No…it's not."I answered bluntly_. _This was probably the first guy that doesn't try to seat as far away from me as possible…

He raised his eyebrow before sitting next to me. "Cool; thanks…um"

"Kanji. Kanji Tatsumi"

**KANJI "ASS RENOVATOR" TATSUMI**

**-Age: 15**

**-Height: 1, 83 cm tall ( 6' 0'')**

**-Weight: 65 kg (143 lbs)**

**-Zodiac: Capricorn.**

**-Favourite colour: Black.**

**-Least Favourite Colour: Orange.**

**-Favourite food: Strawberry. **

**-Least Favourite Food: Sweets.**

**-Favourite Music: J-Pop and J-Rock.**

**-Least favourite music: Electronic.**

**-Favourite Fiction Genre: Romance/ Shoujo.**

**-Least Favourite Fiction Genre: Sci-fi.**

**Signature moves/traits:**

**-Very VERY short temper.**

**-Sewing master.**

**-Tendency to renovate asses.**

**-Major weakness to cute, fluffy things and to blue haired detectives.**

Sigh…I was already hearing whispers behind me.

"Why is he sitting next to Kanji? The guy is scary!" A female whisper said.

"If he hangs out with Kanji, maybe the girls will try to stay away from him…" A male whisper said, right next to the female whisper. Those two idiots again…

"You really only think about girls, don't you?" Those little pri-

"Alright everyone, class is starting!"

Never thought I would be happy to hear that.

Everyone stopped talking as Kashiwagi started to explain literature. I was ready to fall asleep when the new guy talked to me.

"Not the most popular guy around, I see." He said. I was about to break his face for being a smart ass when I saw the expression in his face. It didn't look like he was making fun of that. Weird…

"What makes you think that?" I answered.

"Didn't you hear them whispering?" He answered back while signalling the two idiots behind us. They both looked uncomfortable after he did it.

"I'm surprised you heard anything with those things on." I told him with a smirk.

He chuckled at that.

"They are turned off for now." He said while tapping the headphones.

"People always talk shit about me like that, because of how I look I guess". I told him. Shit, when did I start talking about myself so much!?

"What's wrong with how you look?" He said with an annoyed look on his face.

"Bleached hair, ear rings, shirt with skull...you get the idea."

"What!? The T-shirt looks cool!" He answered while signalling it.

I crossed my arms and nodded. "Of course it is! These idiots just don't have good tast—Wait…why did you only mention the T-shirt!?"

I didn't notice that the whole class was talking with each other and doing anything except listening to Kashiwagi, wich obviously upset her.

"I'm going to turn around now, and if I see anyone talking, they will have to stay here during luchbreak, got it?!" She said the later part of the phrase with a rather intimidating tone, and a vein in her head was getting more prominent.

"Warn me when class is over, I'm gonna doze off for now." I told the new guy before catching up some sleep. Those TV World training sessions where brutal…and we were going in again today.

"Sure thing." He put his hand on his left pocket, where his MP3 was. I guess that's his way of not dying of boredom in class.

_Dreamless dorm, ticking clock_

_I walk away from the soundless room_

_Windless night, moonlight melts_

_My ghostly shadow to the lukewarm gloom_

_Nightly dance of bleeding swords_

_Reminds me that I still live_

_I will burn my dread_

_I once ran away from the god of fear_

_And he chained me to despair_

_Burn my dread_

_I'll break the chain_

_And run till I see the sunlight again_

_Yasogami High school, Entrance_

_Takuya's perspective_

"_Mission First Day Survival: Accomplished!"_

Class went pretty well, but then again the only thing I did was either listening to music or talking to Kanji.

"_That Kanji guy is pretty cool."_

We got along pretty easily. After all, I knew were the guy was coming from. The pale skin and red eyes thing made kids hesitant to get close to me. My only real friend was Hamuko-chan, and after we came back to Iwatodai, I got along with Yukari-chan, Stup—I mean Junpei, Misturu-senpai, …pretty much all of their friends, except Minato; he wasn't a friend to me…he was like the old, jerkass brother I never had; that is, until Hamuko's death turned him into a walking corpse.

I was reminiscing about my old friends when I heard someone calling me.

"Hey, Takuya-kun!"

I looked at the school gates to see Kanji hanging out with a few students. I decided to walk over there.

"Sup, Kanji-kun!" I said back.

"Who's this Kanji-kun? " A black haired student said. She was pale as snow as well; we could pass for brothers…well, my blue hair aside…meh, semantics.

"Wha- IT'S YOU". Oh, hey! Headphones and Green Jacket where here!

"A transfer student from some city. He just arrived here today." Was what Kanji told that girl.

"Another transfer student from the city? Huh…just like Yu-kun." Green Jacket said. Green jacket… I guess the school doesn't take the uniform thing too seriously, thankfully.

"Hey I'm from the city too, you know!" Headphones said.

"I'm Yu Narukami, nice to meet you." The silver haired student said in a calm manner.

**YU "STEEL KINGPING OF SWAG" NARKAMI**

**-Age: 16**

**-Height: 1, 80 cm tall ( 5' 11'')**

**-Weight: 62 kg (136 lbs)**

**-Zodiac: Capricorn.**

**-Favourite colour: Yellow.**

**-Least Favourite Colour: Purple.**

**-Favourite food: Ayias Beef Bowl Challenge. **

**-Least Favourite Food: Fish.**

**-Favourite Music: J-Rock and Jazz.**

**-Least favourite music: J-Pop.**

**-Favourite Fiction Genre: Mystery/Adventure.**

**-Least Favourite Fiction Genre: Shonen.**

**Signature moves/traits:**

**-Perfect poker face.**

**-Hard to tell if he's joking or being deadly serious.**

**-Has a magnetic field that attracts nearby females.**

**-Major weakness to Nanako Dojima's adorableness and tomboys.**

"Yosuke Hanamura." Headphones said while giving a thumbs up.

**YOSUKE "MAJOR OF RESSENTIMENT LAND" HANAMURA**

**-Age: 16**

**-Height: 1, 75 cm tall ( 5' 9'')**

**-Weight: 58 kg (128 lbs)**

**-Zodiac: Cancer.**

**-Favourite colour: Orange.**

**-Least Favourite Colour: Green.**

**-Favourite food: Ramen. **

**-Least Favourite Food: Vegetables.**

**-Favourite Music: J-Rock.**

**-Least favourite music: Classical.**

**-Favourite Fiction Genre: Shonen/Mecha.**

**-Least Favourite Fiction Genre: Shoujo.**

**Signature moves/traits:**

**-Can dissipate gloomy atmospheres with his butt-monkeyness.**

**-Second in command of the Junes Inaba mafia.**

**-Possesses a sixth sense when it comes to locating/ogling attractive women.**

**-Major weakness to crotch hits, nurses and attractive inn keepers.**

" Chie Satonaka." Green Jacket said as she waved her hand to me.

**CHIE "CARNIVORE QUEEN" SATONAKA**

**-Age: 16**

**-Height: 1, 58 cm tall ( 5' 2'')**

**-Weight: Unknown.**

**-Zodiac: Leo.**

**-Favourite colour: Green.**

**-Least Favourite Colour: Grey.**

**-Favourite food: Meat. **

**-Least Favourite Food: Not meat.**

**-Favourite Music: J-Rock.**

**-Least favourite music: J-Pop.**

**-Favourite Fiction Genre: Action/Adventure.**

**-Least Favourite Fiction Genre: Crime.**

**Signature moves/traits:**

**-Galactic punt.**

**-Stupid-Yosuke critical genital hit.**

**-Meat dimension invulnerability.**

**-Lethal chef.**

**-Major weakness to meat and strong and stoic transfer students.**

" Yukiko Amagi." The black haired girl slightly bowed after introducing herself.

**YUKIKO "LAUGH FIT QUEEN" AMAGI**

**-Age: 16**

**-Height: 1, 64 cm tall ( 5' 6'')**

**-Weight: Unknown.**

**-Zodiac: Sagittarius.**

**-Favourite colour: Red.**

**-Least Favourite Colour: White.**

**-Favourite food: Salad, tofu. **

**-Least Favourite Food: Ayias Beef Bowl Challenge.**

**-Favourite Music: Classical and J-Rock.**

**-Least favourite music: J-Pop.**

**-Favourite Fiction Genre: Action/Adventure/Horror.**

**-Least Favourite Fiction Genre: Drama/Shoujo.**

**Signature moves/traits:**

**-Indifference glare.**

**-Snicker storm.**

-**Lethal chef.**

-**Tendency to fall for bluffs.**

**-Major weakness to horror stories and sensitive transfer students.**

"I'm Takuya Akiyama, nice to meet you all." I smirked as I introduced myself.

"_Amagi…from the Amagi Inn?" _I thought as I looked at her.

"Are you settling in alright?" Yu asked.

"So far, yeah…" I answered here.

"You managed to survive Kashiwagi's literature lessons pretty well. Hope you're ready for math tomorrow." Kanji said while sighing at the thought of maths.

"Ugh…maths. I hate them…" Chie said with a frown.

"Yeah, I used to hate them as well, but then I realized maths…have a point!" I said with a smile.

…

After ten seconds, Kanji decided to break the silence.

"That wasn't funny."

"You have a bad sense of humour, that's what it is…Well, I have some things to do at home, I should get going." I told them as I got ready to go back home.

"Right, we're busy as well; gotta go train in the TV-"

I could have sworn Kanji said something about "training" and "TVs", but he stopped when Chie punched him in the ribs

"The TV… Featherman R special…we were gonna watch it…Yeah, that was it!" Kanji said with a weird expression on his face.

"Well, hope you have fun. Later!" I waved at them while heading back home.

_3__rd__ person perspective_

"That was close. Nice one Chie." Yu said as Takuya exited the scene.

"No problem!" Chie said enthusiastically, pumping her fist in the air.

"Don't encourage her, Senpai!" Kanji complained, holding the rib he thinks Chie might have just broken.

"Maybe you should think a bit before saying anything Kanji! You almost told him about the TV world!" Yosuke answered him, thinking rationally about the situation…which surprised the rest of the group.

"Speaking of which, we're not training today." Yu announced.

"Huh? Why?" Yosuke asked, curious as to what made their leader cancel the training session he announced just yesterday, of which he seemed to be excited.

"It's raining latter today. Ayia special." Yu said with all the calm in the world.

"…You're still trying to beat the challenge?" Yosuke said, aware that Yu had tried and failed the challenge…about four times.

"I WILL BEAT THE CHALLENGE!" Yu shouted, earning him looks from students that were walking by and sweat drops from his friends, who didn't know how to react to the enthusiasm their leader showed over a beef bowl.

Everyone except Chie, who looked at him with glistening eyes.

"You'll beat it eventually! I'm sure you will!"

**Evening**

_Takuya's house._

"Thank you Shinjiro-senpai, for teaching me how to cook despite my complaints..." Takuya muttered to himself.

He quickly devoured the dinner he had made. After all, the only food he had taken was a quick breakfast before rushing to school. While devouring the food, a TV news special was on…

"In this special report, we will be looking at the series of thefts that took place in the city of Iwatodai a few days ago."

Takuya quickly grabbed the remote and pressed the record button.

"Another one for the collection!" He said with enthusiasm.

After finishing cleaning the dishes, he looked at the clock.

"Man, I'm still tired…Well, I should try to get some sleep; the Amagi Inn will get a visit tomorrow night after all."

Later that night, after Takuya had fallen asleep, the TV in the house turned on by itself…

_**To be continued on the next chapter: **_

"_**Logic doesn't work here**__**"**_

* * *

><p>So, here's my first FanFic ever; I came up with the idea for this fic after my first two playthroughs of P4G. Reviews are appreciated and always welcome, just<br>like constructive criticism, but this fic has been fully written since 3 months ago (though minor changes could be applied depending on criticism). The reason  
>I'm only uploading it now is because: a) It gave me extra time to re-read the whole thing to check for<br>typos and add foreshadowing. And b):I was afraid I would end up getting tired of writing and leave this fic unfinished.

P.S: Let's see how many of you can spot the references to other games/anime in this chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-made story. The Persona Series and characters are property of Atlus.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 2:<strong>__** Logic doesn't work here**_

_June__ 7th, 2011_

_Yasogami High school_

_3rd __person __POV_

"Who the hell was that?" Was what Yosuke asked to himself, but out loud to see if his friends had any idea.

The Investigation Team was in their usual spot at the school rooftop, discussing the events of last night.

"It looked like a guy, that's for sure. But, who the hell can he be? No one from Inaba appeared on TV, right?" Kanji reasoned.

"Yeah, and the only thing different from usual on TV was that special about some thefts at Iwatodai." Chie said pensively.

Yu's eyes shot wide open, coming up with a possible reason. But if that reason was true…

"…you gotta be kidding."

"What's wrong, Partner?" Yosuke asked.

Upon seeing his expression though, he knew what he was thinking. "...wait, you don't think…"

"The next victim is the thief from that TV report." Yu deduced.

"But we don't even know who the thief actually is!" Yukiko exclaimed.

"I hate to say it, but we are going to have to wait until the image on the Midnight channel gets clear." Yu said with a frown, bothered by their only option.

"Look like our only option now…" Yosuke said with a sigh.

The Investigation Team was frustrated with the situation. Last time they had an idea of who the next victim was, and they were hoping they could catch the culprit next time; but now there was absolutely no clue.

_Takuya's __POV_

_Yasogami High school,_

_Classroom 1-2_

Just a few seconds after the bell had rang, the students had already gathered their things and where exiting the class, except for me, since I was alone in my own world, with my best friend: "headphones".

"Power to the peeps, power for the dream, still missing piece scattering, so incomplete…"

Hmm…I felt something moving in front of my face. I guess I should open my eyes…

"Hey dude, class is over! *mutters* don't make me break your face…"

"Huh? …Oh, sorry dude, music tends to put me in a trance." I answered back while stretching.

Kanji rubbed the back of his head "I was sleeping during the whole class, so I can't say I blame you. It's lunch time already"

And then my eyes shot wide open "…Well, shit"

" What's wrong?"

I awkwardly chuckled at the question. "I might have forgotten to make lunch yesterday."

"Try going to Class 2-2. Senpai usually makes extra." Kanji answered.

"Senpai? Oh, you mean Narukami… Sure, I'll do that. Thanks man." I quickly said goodbye and went to look for Yu, while trying to contain stomach rumbling.

"No problem! *mutters* And learn how to sing…" Kanji said.

I walked to the second floor of the Classroom Building, and found Yu talking with Chie. The amount of giggling coming from Chie surprised me, since I expected her to act more "tomboyishly"…and the fact that she was acting like that with Yu around and the way the looked at each other just made me even more suspicious.

"Yo, Narukami!" I said while waving at both of them.

"Oh, hey Takuya-kun! I was about to have lunch, you wanted something?"

"Well, funny you should say that… "I quickly tried to come up with a plan to trick him into inviting me for lunch.

Then my stomach rumbled.

"*sigh* I have some extra, you want some?" Yu offered, slightly annoyed.

"Well, if you put it like that, I guess I can't refuse I answered back while laughing."

"*sigh* Well, I'm gonna have lunch with Yukiko; See you at class Yu-kun." Oh, I see. They were gonna have lunch together.

Chie walked away with a sad look on her face, the same look Yu had. At this point I could help it.

"Did I interrupt anything?"

Yu blushed. Question answered then…"wh-what? No, not really."

"You sure?" I said with a grin.

"You know, I think Chie would really like the extra food I made…"

"NOTHING WAS HAPPENING AT ALL!" I probably said that a bit too loud…was that why everyone was looking at me?

"Let's go to the roof…" Yu told me as he went into the classroom to get the food. I then made my way to the stairs.

"I hope my intuition is right...SOCIAL LINK, GO!"

Huh? Did I hear something.

_Yasogami High school,_

_Rooftop._

"Just because of your parent's job? That sucks man." I told Yu after he explained me his situation.

"Not compared to your case. Sorry to hear that man." Yu answered.

"Don't worry about it, it's in the past now."

The calm atmosphere of the roof was really something. It made me feel so relaxed…I hope she felt that way too…

"I didn't expect you could cook this good." I said, trying to break the silence.

Yu shrugged at the question. "Mom insisted in teaching me. My parents are hardly at home, and she didn't want me to starve to death. I'm the one that didn't expect you to be a good cook."

"Huh?" I answered, confused.

"Kanji told me you gave him some extra when he forgot his lunch, the day you came here." Yu said with a smile.

Tch…I didn't have any extra. I offered some of my lunch and he devoured it all.

"A friend taught me that."

"And something happened to him"

"Wha—How did you…?" Was the only thing I was able to answer.

"Your face when you said it…you weren't grinning, like you usually do"

"Damn…" I silently cursed. My douchebaggery betrayed me!

We talked about several things, from music, hobbies (fishing? For real?), school, etc...

Then the school bell rang.

" *sigh* Great, I almost forgot we had class." I said.

" Not to long before we are out. See ya later " Yu answered while offering his hand.

" Sure thing dude." I said as I accepted the handshake.

_Thou art I… And I am Thou_

_Thou has established a new bond…_

_It brings thee closer to the truth…_

_Thou shalt be blessed when creating _

_Personas of the Hunger Arcana…_

"SUCCESS!" Yu screamed.

"You… okay dude? "

"Let's go back to class." Yu said, with a blank expression, as he went down the stairs...

…weirdo.

**Evening**

_Takuya__´s house_

" Lock picks, check; mask, check; bag, check; Alright, everything ready. Amagi Inn, here I come!"

I wasn't able to equip myself tough. Before I could do that, I heard the doorbell ring, and the following events are a bit foggy in my mind.

_3__rd__ person POV_

_Yu's house_

_That same day_

After waiting for a while in his room, Yu's TV turned on and static appeared, eventually disappearing to show an orphanage in chains. Takuya then appeared on the screen, except he was wearing a prison uniform.

" Welcome, ladies and gentleman! On this very special episode, the town of Inaba will experience not one, not two, definitely not three….but FOUR heists, at major locations, in the same night! I hope these amazing feats satisfy the public at home!" The Takuya from the TV said.

As the TV then turned off, a phone started ringing.

"You saw it?" A male voice through the phone said.

" Yeah, I saw it all. Let's get everyone together at Junes, tomorrow after school."

" Yeah, lets do that!"

_June 8, 2011_

_Junes Food court_

_Kanji's POV_

I was still processing the information from the last Midnight Channel. I noticed that Takuya had all the signs of a delinquent, but so did I. Appearance can lie, but it looked like this was not that case.

"He accompanied me and Chie on the way home yesterday and he acted really nicely…" Yukiko-senpai said.

"Yeah, he's the first person to have the guts to sit next to me in class, and he acted like a nice guy…"

"I don't think it was an act." Senpai said.

"What do you mean?" Chie-senpai asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I watched some of the special reports about his crimes. Most of them were committed against gang members and that type of people. And the way his shadow acted….I think, and this is just a theory, that he enjoys not the result of stealing, but the process himself." Senpai explained to us.

" Sooo…you think he is an adrenaline junkie?" Yosuke-senpai said, trying to summarize Senpais explanation.

"Why don't we ask him ourselves? Let's go look for him!" I told the group.

"Yeah, let's go!" Chie-senpai said, pumping her fists.

We made our way to the Electronics department, and quickly entered the TV world, which was tricky as there were more people in Junes than normal.

_TV world,_

_Entrance_

"You guys came back!" Teddie shouted as soon as we arrived.

"Nice to see you too Teddie." Senpai answered back. "Can you sense anyone new?"

Teddie's expression became serious then, as he slowly moved around the TV studio, looking for any new smells.

"I can smell someone, but I can't really tell where tough…"

"Hey, maybe if we tell you about the person we are looking for, it will help you find him, just like with Kanji." Yosuke-senpai proposed.

Hey, wait a sec…

"What exactly did you tell Teddie about me?"

"We don't have time to explain right now." Senpai answered calmly.

"Oh, yeah, your right!" I answered back.

We then proceeded to tell Teddie about Takuya.

"I definitely smell something! This way!"

_Yu's perspective_

After spending a while walking, we arrived at what looked like an orphanage completely covered in chains.

Chie seemed to be distracted.

"You okay, Chie?"

"Yeah, I think I get the message."

"Message?" I asked her.

" This place covered in chains, Takuya-kun is a thief, you know…"

Yeah, I get the message too.

_A few floors later_

_Floor 3_

We had managed to climb two floors already, and we were about to climb the stairs to the next one when I noticed the group looked tired.

"We should have trained a bit more." Yosuke said while breathing heavily.

"No kidding!" Kanji and Yukiko said at the same time, also breathing heavily.

"Stop complaining and let's hurry!" Chie shouted at them. I noticed then that Chie and I seemed to be the only ones that weren't tired.

"Easy for you to say!" Kanji shouted." You're more ready for this because you spend all time training with Senpai!"

Oh man, I hope I'm not blushing. Why can I keep a straight face in any situation, except when it comes to this?

"What are you getting at!?" Chie told Kanji…wait, was she blushing? Nah…probably my imagination trying to tease me. Like I didn't have enough of that with Yosuke.

"He was just saying that you train with Yu. Why are so upset about it?" Yosuke answered, with a big grin in his face.

"We should get going." I said, trying to escape from this situation.

"R-right! Let's go!" Chie exclaimed while rushing up the stairs with me.

"Man, that was priceless."

I thought I heard Yosuke said something.

_Floor 4_

Just as the group of shadows we defeated started to vanish, we saw Takuya's shadow absorbing what was left of them.

"This is the best all you can eat buffet in the world! I feel stronger already!"

"Come back here you punk!"

There can't be too many floors left. We should probably hurry.

_Floor 5_

As we entered the 5th floor, we heard a distorted voice.

"_A pocket watch from our math teacher. That was the very first thing I stole. It helped in getting revenge at that punk that made Minako cry, but I could never forget the rush and the excitement I felt when I was stealing it. I keep telling myself I stole to help others, but I only really did it to have fun."_

_Several floors later_

_Top floor, floor 8_

_3__rd__ person perspective_

"Takuya!" Kanji screamed as the door to the final floor opened.

The group finally reached the top floor of the orphanage, were they found Takuya and his shadow having a heated discussion.

"You just wanted to have fun!"

"No, I didn't not! I was trying to help!" Takuya argued back.

"And having fun…" His Shadow answered back.

"That's…not the point" Takuya said, with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Keep telling yourself that if it makes you sleep better at night, but the truth is you are just an adrenaline junkie that wants MORE. I know that very well, after all, I am you, you know…"

"In you dreams! "

"Wait! Don't say it!" Chie screamed, trying to prevent was she had seen three times already.

"Like hell you're me!"

And with that simple denial, Takuya's shadow began to laugh manically, growing larger and larger … until it transformed into a black, reptilian looking knight, full of chains and with a black and white pattern similar to prison uniforms.

" I am a shadow…the true self. Let's see if you can keep me entertained!" Shadow Takuya shadow said with a mocking tone, as Takuya fainted.

The shadow looked ready for a battle, and so did the Investigation Team, as they all were surrounded by blue areas.

" Let's go Jiraya!"

" Protect me Tomoe!"

" Konohana Sakuya!"

" You are going down, you bastard! Take-Mikazuchi!"

" Let's do this! Izanagi!"

The following battle tested the teamwork of the group, as Takuya's shadow was able to use attacks from every possible element, which he learnt from absorbing the weaker shadows the team had defeated in their way to the top floor.

" Recam!" Yukiko shouted, reviving Yosuke.

"Dammit, he knows all of our weaknesses and we have no idea of his!" Yosuke complained.

"Makes sense, him being a thief and all." Chie said while panting heavily. She stopped as soon as Yu used Diaran on her.

"Better?"

"As good as new!"

"Can't you find something about it Teddie!?" Kanji shouted.

"I just did! He is weak to Light!"

"Oh, come on!" Yosuke said. "We don't have anyone with light magic!"

"Funny you should mention that …CHANGE! Angel!"

Izanagi then reverted back to a card, which shattered and became an angel chained by it's neck.

And while this happened, Yosuke was hit by a Zio spell.

"Oh, come on, not again…"

" Recam!"

Yosuke sighed in frustration. "This is getting ridiculous."

"Angel, Hama!"

The Persona summoned a few white cards next to shadow Takuya, which exploded….

And did nothing.

"What happened?!" Kanji said.

"I might have forgotten that the Hama skill has low accuracy…" Yu answered while scratching his head.

This made Shadow Takuya laugh maniacally.

"Better luck next time!" He said. "Zio!"

"WOULD YOU STOP THAT ALREADY!?"

After three failed Hama spells and two other Zio's to Yosuke (which soured his mood quite quickly), the fourth Hama hit the target, defeating the shadow with a single blow.

"Looks like luck was on your side...in the end." The shadow said, while reverting to its previous form.

"…and stay down!" Yosuke shouted.

The gang quickly went to Takuya's side and helped him to get on his feet.

"What happened?" A confused Takuya asked before looking at his Shadow. "Hey, you look down… cat got your tongue?"

"Takuya-kun, stop!" Yukiko said. "If you keep denying it it will only get stronger!"

"It's okay dude" Kanji said, trying to calm him down." Everyone has a side in them that they are ashamed of."

"But that only a part of you, not the whole you." Chie said.

"…not the whole me…" Takuya thought about those words" I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't stole that pocket watch… it might have been better for me in the long run. But I protected Hamuko by doing that, and I would do it again. I enjoyed the thefts but… I think what I enjoyed the most is seeing the orphans with smiling faces at the lack of bullies. I get both the rush of the crime and the feeling of having done something nice. You feel that too, right? You are me, after all…"

The shadow nodded and smiled, just before disappearing in a red flame, and in its place, a mechanical looking Persona (although it also had a very human-like head), with a lyre on his back. It had black hair, crimson eyes, and the color pattern of it's body was black and red.

"Orpheus… " Takuya muttered.

The persona then disappeared into Takuya's body, a process that would confuse anyone that witnessed it, but familiar to the Investigation Team; and just after this, Takuya kneeled down from exhaustion.

"Dude, you okay?!" Kanji asked with concern.

"Just a bit tired." Takuya said in a low voice, almost a whisper.

"We should get out of now." Yu said, leading the way out of the dungeon.

_TV World,_

_Entrance_

The group finally made their way back to the portal to the real world. Along the way, Takuya had to take a helping shoulder from Yu.

"Thanks man." Takuya said to Yu.

"No problem, that's what friends are for."

"So who threw you in?" Teddie asked with curiosity. His gaze focusing in Teddie, Takuya tilted his head in confusion.

"Um…what the hell are you?"

"I'm Teddie!"

**TEDDIE "FUZZY SCORING BEAST" **

**-Age: Unknown.**

**-Height: Unknown.**

**-Weight: Unknown.**

**-Zodiac: Unknown.**

**-Favourite colour: Red.**

**-Least favourite colour: Dark Purple.**

**-Favourite food: Popsicles. **

**-Least favourite food: Not popsicles.**

**-Favourite Music: Unknown.**

**-Least favourite Music: Unknown.**

**-Favourite Movie Genre: Unknown.**

**-Least Favourite Fictional Genre: Unknown.**

**-Signature moves/traits:**

**-A version of Charm mode slightly less effective than Takuya's (none of them are that effective anyways)**

**-Police hound level of smell.**

**-Bear puns.**

**-Major weakness to women and cousins.**

"Sorry, the only thing I can remember is going to answer the doorbell. That's about it."

"Don't sweat it man, it was the same for me." Kanji said, trying to hide disappointment from his voice.

"And me." Yukiko added.

"Well, at least we could save you. I say that's was beary much worth it!" Teddie concluded.

"Beary…much?" Takuya said, with wide open eyes.

"Don't worry, you get used to it." Chie said, while rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry. It's bearly a problem…" Takuya said in a deadpan tone.

"That was…bear-lliant!" Teddie enthusiastically answered.

"Oh come on, it's not that impressive! You're making me bear-sh!" Takuya answered.

"Are you trying to annoy us?" Kanji asked, trying to contain his annoyance.

"Proba-bear yes, proba-bear not…I'm beary inbearcisive" Takuya answered.

"You're really stretching it dude." Kanji said, a vein becoming more prominent in his forehead.

"Stretching it?" Teddie said. "Imbearsible!".

Yosuke groaned at the pun duel. "I hate my life…"

"Probearm?" Takuya and Teddie said at the same time.

"Let's just get out of here." Yosuke sighed.

"Wait! I haven't given Takuya his glasses yet!" Teddie said.

Teddie then gave Takuya the TV World glasses that allowed everyone to see through the fog. They were glasses similar to Kanji's, except this one had crimson glass instead of black.

"Glasses?" Takuya asked as he took them. "What do I need glasses fo—"He stopped talking as soon as he put them on. "Right… logic doesn't work here."

The team went trough the pile of TV and landed on the Junes Electronics section.

Takuya looked confused at the TV, then the group, and then repeated this.

"You better get some rest, we'll explain later." Chie said.

"Yeah you will." Takuya answered back.

Everyone went to their respective homes and they all, especially Takuya, quickly fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em><strong>To be continued on the next chapter: <strong>_

"_**Up close and personal?"**_

* * *

><p><strong>Persona and user status:<strong>

**Yu Narukami (Lv26), Izanagi (Lv23):**

**-Strength: 25.**

**-Magic: 18.**

**-Endurance: 23.**

**-Agility: 23.**

**-Luck: 21.**

**-Strong against: Electricity.**

**-Weak against: Wind.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Yosuke Hanamura (Lv25), Jiraya (Lv22):**

**-Strength: 20.**

**-Magic: 15.**

**-Endurance: 19.**

**-Agility: 29.**

**-Luck: 5.**

**-Strong against: Wind.**

**-Weak against: Electricity.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Chie Satonaka (Lv25), Tomoe Gozen (Lv24):**

**-Strength: 27.**

**-Magic: 14.**

**-Endurance: 25.**

**-Agility: 20.**

**-Luck: 19.**

**-Strong against: Ice.**

**-Weak against: Fire.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Yukiko Amagi (Lv24), Konohana Sakuya (Lv23):**

**-Strength: 16.**

**-Magic: 27.**

**-Endurance: 18.**

**-Agility: 25.**

**-Luck: 23.**

**-Strong against: Fire.**

**-Weak against: Ice.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Kanji Tatsumi (Lv22), Take-Mikazuchi (Lv20):**

**-Strength: 30.**

**-Magic: 15.**

**-Endurance: 27.**

**-Agility: 19.**

**-Luck: 20.**

**-Strong against: Electricity.**

**-Weak against: Wind.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Takuya Akiyama (Lv19), Orpheus (Lv16):**

**-Strength: 23.**

**-Magic: 16.**

**-Endurance: 18.**

**-Agility: 17.**

**-Luck: 14.**

**-Strong against: Fire.**

**-Weak against: Electricity.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

* * *

><p>And so the adventures of the dangerously-close-to-gary-stu- character continues...<p>

If you're not a fan of OC centric fics, I would recommend not reading this; the main reason the OC is the center of attention in this fic is that when I read a retelling fic with OCs of a game or a show, I prefer them to be the main focus as it gives you the established experience from a different point of view; but I totally understand if you don't like OC getting more time in the spotlight than canon characters.

I would also like to deeply apologize for the pun duel.

Also, I probably should have said this in the first chapter but English isn't my main language, so I apologize for any weird phrasing I might use.


	3. Chapter 3

_**_**Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-made story. The Persona Series and characters are property of Atlus.**_**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 3: Up close and personal?<strong>_

_June 15, 2011_

_Classroom 1-2_

_Kanji's POV_

I heard of people having trouble with alarm clocks not sounding when they should have, but what just happened to me was the exact opposite. The freaking thing went on an hour before it should have! And by the time I realized that I was already at the gates of school. I was literally the first student to arrive.

The classroom slowly started to fill up; even when Kashgawi arrived, a few students still arrived. After everyone (well, mostly everyone) arrived, she decided it was time to start the lesson, which meant catching up to that hour of sleep I missed.

"Well, if that's everyone, let's beg—"

"Just a second!"

That voice…

"Takuya-kun!" Kashiwagi said, with an enthusiastic tone for some reason. "You feel better already?"

Takuya smirked. "Better than ever!" He said as he sat on his chair.

"Well then, let's begin!" Kashiwagi announced as she turned to the billboard; Takuya's smirk completely disappeared as he loudly dropped his head onto the table. Guess he wasn't _fully_ recovered yet.

"Roof of the school at lunch break, explanation time, right? " Takuya muttered.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, right."

"Cool." Takuya then took out his headphones. Well, that can only mean…

"Wake me up when it's over." I told him as I closed my eyes.

_Later that day,_

_Yasogami High School_

_3__rd__ person POV_

The Investigation Team was in the roof of the school, finishing the basic explanation of the Inaba murder case.

"…and that about covers it!" Yosuke finished.

"So I'm basically stuck in one of my childhood TV shows, huh?"

"With a bit more murdering involved!" Yosuke added.

"So, how does the Persona stuff work?" Takuya asked. "You didn't go into too much detail about it."

"Well, the first time you do it it's mainly by instinct." Yu explained. "Just use the card to summon your Persona-"

"Oh!" Takuya said, as he snapped his fingers in acknowledgment. "So it's just like that one card game!"

"Huh?" Yu said as he tilted his head in confusion." Anyways, when you summon your Persona, you can command it to attack the enemy with-"

"So it's just like that one card game."

"Careful when using your Persona." Kanji added. "The damage it takes is also transferred to the user."

"That's not like that card game, that's something else entirely…Something bizarre…"

"Would you shut up already!?" Kanji snapped. " What card game are you talking about anyways!?"

"Still can't believe the famous thief from TV was you." Chie said, completely ignoring Kanji shouting and aggressively shaking Takuya.

Instead of answering Takuya stayed silent for ten seconds, and just as Yukiko was about to break the silence Takuya stood up, bumping his fist into the air.

"Who else could be!? Guarding your valuables as good as you can will not help! Not a single human being can see him! Not a single security system can even detect him! The ghost of Iwatodai! The bane of the corrupt rich! Master thief, TAKUYA AKIYA-"

"Yeah, yeah...I think we get the message!". Yosuke said trying to cut him off. _"(How did someone with such a big mouth kept a secret like that for this long?)"_

"Oh, c'mon. You're the first guys that know my identity! I've wanted to do that cool speech for ages!"

"Anyway, we could always use a helping hand. How about it? " Yu said.

"Huh?" Takuya answered, slightly tilting his head. "What do I get out of it?"

"The satisfaction of taking a criminal, a KILLER, mind you, to jail!" Chie proudly declared.

"The Shadows that we defeat tend to drop Yen, for whatever reason..." Yu told Takuya. "You get 1% of the spoils"

"50%"

"1.1%"

"45%"

"1.2%, and that's final. Take it or leave it."

"*sigh* Fine, whatever..."

And with that Takuya officially joined the Investigation Team. He will definitely be a strong asset in this case...hopefully...

"So what did you nickname yours?" Takuya asked.

"Nickname?" Chie asked.

"Your Persona! What do you call yours?"

"Thunder Muscle?" Kanji said, trying to come up with a name in the moment.

"Not very original…" Yu muttered loud enough that everyone could listen to.

"DNJ!" Yosuke shouted pridefully. "Initials make it sound cool, don't they?"

"DN…J? " Chie adopted a thoughtful expression before realizing what Yosuke meant. "Oh! Disco Ninja Frog?"

"No! I said DNJ!" Yosuke repeated.

"But it's short for Disco Ninja Frog, right?" Yukiko said.

"D.N.J!" Yosuke once again repeated, a vein throbbing in his head.

Yu decided to explain the situation by getting everyone except Yosuke in a small circle to whisper in their ears. "He doesn't like that name."

"Flaming Blossom Priestess!" Yukiko said, earning approving looks from the team.

"Nice one, Yukiko-san!" Takuya said.

"What did you call yours, Takuya-kun?" Yukiko asked.

"Well, the predominant color of his clothes is red…and it makes them look like they got fresh blood in them, so I call him…SE-"

"Why do you nickname it if he doesn't respond to being summoned by anything other than their name?" Chie asked Takuya.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"I think you have a point there…" Takuya said. "How 'bout yours, Narukami?"

"Well, I have multiple ones…but the one I have equipped right now is called Chariot Pen-"

"OH GOD! TOO MUCH INFORMATION!"

_Yasogami High School,_

_After class._

_Yu's POV._

Tch...

1.2% of the spoils? Gimme a break, that's 0.2% percent more than I hoped.

"Hey look, it's Narukami!"

"You're right, it's him!"

"Narukami!"

"Hey, Narukami!"

"Narukami-kun!"

Oh great...fan girls. Their high-pitched squealing voices never get annoying at all. I had just got to the to exit when I noticed Takuya, Yosuke and Kanji waiting at the school gates.

"Yo, Partner!" Yosuke greeted me. "We were just waiting for you!"

"You were?" I asked him.

"We were?" Apparently Kanji and Takuya weren't aware of that.

"How about you go with us instead of them?" Oh, right...I forgot about the fan girls.

I must had made an expression that showed my unpleasantness at the situation because Takuya decided to go next to me and whispered in my ear." Don't worry, I got this."

"Sorry ladies!" He shouted at them. "Mister Narukami here is going to ROMANTICALLY hang out with Yosuke! Your presence is not needed!"

Well, someone is getting killed today. Thankfully that statement is so astonishingly stupid that no one will belie-

"Yeah, that makes sense, actually..."

"I did have a feeling that he swung that way."

"*sigh* I guess I was right after all..."

"Haven't you heard the way they call the other one 'Partner'?"

I have an urge to punch somebody.

"I have an urge to punch somebody" Said Yosuke.

"Hey! I got them away, didn't I?" I'm gonna wipe that grin off your face, Takuya...

"Are you free, Takuya-kun?"

...I'm gonna wipe that grin with poetic justice.

"He's not." I told the girl that asked him out. "He's going to romantically hang out with Kanji."

"*sigh* Are all the pretty boys in this school like that or what?" The girl sighed as she began to make her way back home, while Takuya dug a hole in my skull with his glare.

"You may have won this battle, but you won't win the war!" He said.

"You both lost, you idiots." Well, Kanji did have a point.

"What are you guys doing here, anyways?" I decided to ask them.

"Good question." Takuya added." Why did you drag me here Yosuke?"

Yosuke grinned at the question". I thought you might be interested in our little Up close and personal plan."

Takuya scratched his head, in confusion. "Up close and personal?"

Oh, right, Yosuke's brilliant plan to pick up girls with our motorcycles.

"But Takuya doesn't have a motorcycle." I told them.

"Motorcycle?" Takuya asked, sounding even more confused. "What does that have to do with the phrase up close and per-Oooohhhhh, I get it."

Kanji was the confused one now. "You …do?"

And Takuya now had a grin just as big as Yosuke's. "When they are behind you, they squeeze right in your back!"

"Hell yeah!" Yosuke shouted, making all the students nearby look at us. "We're on the same page here! " And now they high fived each other…Good grief, I'm already regretting having this guy on our team ...

"Don't worry about the bike." Takuya said. "I'm sure I can borrow one..."

"Come on partner, let's go! You don't have any plans for today, right?"

I actually had. I wanted to spend the day training with Chie and hanging out with her, but… if I pass the invitation of picking up girls to spend time with her, Yosuke's teasing would last for days. Having him smirk whenever I protected Chie from shadow attacks (or when she protected me) was already annoying, and it could get a lot worse.

"Right, I don't. Let's meet at the gas station before heading to Okina."

**Later that day…**

_Okina city_

_Yu's POV_

We quickly arrived at Okina city with our recently acquired scooters. Well, me and Yosuke had scooters. Kanji came with his bike, while Takuya came with a motorbike he got from the biker gang.

"Aren't you even a bit tired Kanji? " I asked him.

"Nah" Kanji answered "Keeping up with a pair of guys that just started with their bikes is no sweat at all."

"Only because I had to pause to refill!" Yosuke argued back.

"If you guys are done…" Takuya said with an unusual serious tone for him "I say it's time for Operation Chick-Capture!"

"Operation Chick-Capture? That's sounds way to rap-*sigh*Good grief...Forget it, let's just get over this with." I said while resisting the urge to facepalm.

"Don't sweat it partner, with these bikes, the only thing we need do is stay here and let the chick's swing over here!"

"Actually, mind if I head of for a minute? I heard there is a craft shop here that…" Why was Kanji getting nervous? "I'm just gonna buy some stuff!"

"Why did he come with us if he wasn't going to take part of the plan?" Takuya thought out loud.

But Yosuke's mind was somewhere else.

"Never mind that, I think it's time for the operation to begin!"

_Three hours later_

How did they not try to get the initiative until three hours passed is something I still don't get. I didn't really care about the "operation" anyway; I had plans already made concerning my love live.

"Sorry to make you guys wait! I—"Kanji shot a quick glance at us and sighed. "…Nothing, huh?"

"Are we doing something wrong?" Yosuke asked himself.

"Maybe a pair of scooters isn't the best choice to pick up chicks." Kanji reasoned

"Hey, this is the best I could do with my salary! "

"I can't keep quiet after seeing you guys like this. I'll avenge you!" Kanji said enthusiastically…for some reason.

"This isn't a fight, you know…it would be easier if it were, though" Takuya reasonably said.

But Yosuke wasn't listening to reason today.

"But he does have the right attitude! Everyone, we waited long enough, it's time to attack! We'll meet back here after a while. Good luck!"

How did I get dragged into this...?

I was the second one to come back to our bikes, right after Kanji. I was close to get a few numbers, but I would rather not have anything to do with crazy cults…don't ask about it.

Yosuke came back after me, with a grin in his face, just before Takuya arrived with a distant look in his eyes.

"Any luck?"

"Of course!" Wait, did Kanji really said that?

"Wait, seriously?" Yosuke seemed surprised as well. "What did you get!?"

"Some chick gave me her phone number, and said something about it costing an hour. Does that count?"

Yosuke could only sigh to that. "Of course it doesn't!"

"Wasn't planning on hooking with a crazy religious chick anyway." I muttered a bit too loud.

Kanji seemed to have heard it. "Sorry, but…. what did you just say?"

"I said I didn't get any."

"You got any, Takuya? " Yosuke asked him.

Takuya turned his head towards Yosuke, still having a distant look in his face. "Are my eyes really...that weird?"

"Excuse...me?"

"This one chick said my eyes are weird...I know red isn't a common eye color, but...?"

"Did you get her number?" Yosuke asked him.

"No, but..."

"Well, looks like we have a winner!" Yosuke declared while Takuya began mumbling "Weird eyes" to himself.

"Hey, you didn't call her yet! For all we know it could be Hanako Othani."

Kanji must be the closest thing to a psychic I've ever know.

The ride back home was a silent one. Especially for Yosuke, who was going to have a hard time getting the money necessary for repairing his bike.

**Evening**

_Samegawa Riverbank _

_Yu's POV_

Takuya, Yosuke, Kanji and I each went our separate ways after arriving at the gas station. I was going trough the riverbank, on my way home when I saw a familiar figure sitting in the steps there.

"Yu-kun!"

I parked my bike on the side of the road, and sat next to Chie at the steps.

"I was looking for you after school. Where were you? Are you okay? You look dead."

I then explained about the "Up close and personal plan"…or "operation Chick-Capture"…whatever you want to call it. I think Yosuke calls it "the Okina city disaster".

"*snrk*HAHAHAHAH!"

"Calm down, Yukiko..."

"Sorry, sorry! I just didn't know you were into creepy religious girls!"

"I'm not! I wasn't even going to go with them but…"

"But?"

"Never mind…Besides, I already have my eyes set on a girl."

"Oh, really? _(Oh man, this could be really good or REALLY bad)_ So, who is she?"

"_(Come on Narukami, you've defeated dozens of Shadows. Telling her should be nothing in comparison!)_ "Well, you see…"

"Yo, Partner! Still going with the operation?!"

Oh, look who's here...

"What?" Was all I could deadpan.

"W-well, I have to get going, see you guys later! " Wow…she took off way too fast.

"Better luck next time, Bro! " Yosuke shouted.

Thanks a lot, Partner...

_June 17, 2011_

_School campout_

_Takuya's POV_

"I'm so bored." Kanji muttered.

"Well, talk about shocking…"

Today was the first day of the school campout, and Kanji and I could hear the second year students from where we were. Well, we could hear anything really, since we two were the only first year students in the campout. The other's said they were "sick", or had to "help out at home ". Smart kids…

"Well, might as well enjoy the peace and the tranquillity of the place."

"Yep, what you just said" I said as I raised the volume off my MP3, which despite being at max volume, it didn't cover the agonizing scream we heard.

"What was that?" I wondered.

"Let's check it out!"

We quickly headed for the location of the scream, which turned out to be the camp site of the second year students. As we arrived, the first thing we noticed was Yosuke, unconscious on the ground, with a weird purple mist coming out of his mouth.

"Yosuke-senpai, you okay!?"

We went to where the other were, and Kanji tried to help Yosuke get back up.

"m-m-s –not –et-". Yosuke…'said'.

"Mosquitoes?" Yu tried to guess.

"Mustard?" Silly me...who would put mustard on their curry?

"Mosasaurs?" What? Where would Chie and Yukiko have gotten and extinct reptile, Kanji?

" I… don't think we've put any of that in the curry" Chie muttered.

My gaze then fell upon a plate with …curry? What's with the purple aura around it? … and the smell?!

I looked at the plate with a puzzled expression. "How can something like this be on our plane of existence?"

Yukiko didn't take that very well. "That's just Yosuke-kun exaggerating! Why don't you take a bite?"

What, me!? "Sorry, I'm a vegetarian"

Chie didn't look like she was buying it. "I saw you eating steak at the Shopping District yesterday!"

"It was actually tofu on a stick!"

Again, Chie didn't look like she was buying it.

"I've never tried those…You'll have to tell me where you got them!" Luckily Yukiko did. "How about you then?"

"…me?"

Yu took a bit of the curry in his spoon and looked at it with the most terrified and emotionless (how does that even work) eyes I've ever seen in him. He started lowering the spoon, probably not wanting to end like Yosuke (who was still not able to talk coherently)… but then he looked at Chie.

"*mutters* Good grief...Well, here goes nothing"

You gotta have guts to eat this strange abomination only to please a girl. Maybe I should stop teasing him about it. He clearly cares about her...more than the well being of his internal organs.

And suddenly, his eyes went blank, and a strange purple mist came out of his mouth before he collapsed.

"Senpai!"

"Are you alright?!" Chie asked with concern.

I decided to do the most reasonable thing. I put my hands together and bowed. "That was a brave act, Narukami-senpai. You have earned your rest."

Kanji and I helped Yosuke and Yu get back to their tent, and then we went to our own one, in the first year's area. Night fell in quickly.

"Why did Senpai eat that… thing after seeing what happened to Yosuke-senpai?"

"That's what love does to you. It turns you into a brainless moron."

"Love?"

"Didn't you see how he looked at Chie before eating that Mystery Food X? He was trying not to disappoint her."

"Huh...So Senpai has a thing for Chie-senpai?"

"I imagine so. It would explain why she acts like a giggling schoolgirl around him, and why he seems to show actual emotions when he's with her. Don't you think?"

All I got as an answer was snoring.

"Yep, that's what I thought."

Time for music to drown out the snoring.

_Let it go let it out let it go let it out  
>Take a deep breath<br>Deep breath deep breath  
>Lay low lay high lay low lay high<br>Until you feel the vibes, now touch the sky _

**(Deep Breath)**

_June 18, 2011_

_School __camp out_

_Takuya's POV_

I woke up about an hour later than the rest of the group. To my annoyance, I saw that my MP3 had no batteries left. A small sacrifice for not having to hear Kanji snore next to me.

"What the hell am I gonna do before going back home?"

My thoughts were interrupted when I saw Kanji, Yosuke and Yu next to the river.

Wait, why were Yosuke and Yu wearing bathing trunks?

"Why are you guys wearing that?"

"Oh, we were just going to have some fun in the lake… " Yosuke replied. "With Chie and Yukiko!"

That would explain why Yu seemed nervous...nah, I'm just kidding; his expression was the same as always.

"How did you even managed to convince them to go with you?"

"Let's just say that we helped them and they are going to repay the favour."

"Come on, let's get in." That sounded like Chie's voice.

Chie and Yukiko then came where we were, wearing swimsuits that Yosuke had apparently picked up for them _(that's creepy even for my standards)_

Yosuke wasn't able to hide his enthusiasm "… Dude!"

"Stop staring like that! Say something!"

"You both look great."

Complementing both of them? Yu is certainly a smart guy…

"You know, these girls might me childish on the inside, but I bet they're gonna turn into some fine-looking woman before too long! Don't you think, partner?"

"… What?" Yu replied with a deadpan tone.

Oh boy…

"…You guys crossed the line." Yukiko sounded…scary.

And with that, Yukiko pushed both Yu and Yosuke into the river. Maybe this will make Yosuke use his brain more.

"This water is freezing! What was that for?! It was a compliment!"

"…Maybe it was… sorry, I guess it was instinct! "

"Your instinct tells you to throw people off cliffs?" Yosuke shouted.

"Remind me to never piss you off…" I muttered. "Let's get out of here Kanji."

"Huh? Oh yeah, lets go." Kanji answered as he turned around…

…aaand he had a nosebleed. This just keeps getting better and better.

"KANJI!" Chie shouted.

"…What?"

I wish I had a camera to record Kanji's fall and see it in slow motion. I guess the day didn't end up being so bad after all.

"Well, you guys have fun. I'm getting out of here before my mouth betrays me. See ya!" I said while quickly escaping.

_On the way back home_

_Yosuke's POV_

"Yo, Partner!"

"Huh? Oh, hey there Yosuke!"

I caught up with Yu on the way home and we talked about several things before arriving back home. I think he muttered something about rank up...

"Oh, before I go… Smart move, Bro."

"What?"

"I mean the way you complimented both of them. That was the most gentlemanish thing to do."

"Well, a leader needs quick thinking and nerves of steel…"

"But maybe next time you should look at both of them while saying it, instead of having your eyes fixed on Chie" I told him as I started to leave.

"I wasn't looking at her! ...not overtly...I think...I hope._"_

_June 19, 2011_

_Takuya's house_

_Takuya's POV_

The day went by quickly, as I spend most of it at the Okina arcade with Kanji. Yosuke didn't want to even get close to Okina, and Yu also couldn't make it as he already had plans. Jeez, I wonder what those plans are.

When I arrived home, I started to make dinner while the TV was on, interviewing teenage idol Rise Kujikawa about her one year break at Inaba.

I guess I shouldn't make plans for tomorrow.

* * *

><p><em><strong>To be continued on the next chapter: <strong>_

"_**Strip!?"**_

* * *

><p><strong>Persona and user status:<strong>

**Yu Narukami (Lv26), Wild Card, Izanagi** (Main)** (Lv23):**

**-Strength: 25.**

**-Magic: 18.**

**-Endurance: 23.**

**-Agility: 23.**

**-Luck: 21.**

**-Strong against: Electricity.**

**-Weak against: Wind.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Yosuke Hanamura (Lv25), Jiraya (Lv22):**

**-Strength: 20.**

**-Magic: 15.**

**-Endurance: 19.**

**-Agility: 29.**

**-Luck: 5.**

**-Strong against: Wind.**

**-Weak against: Electricity.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Chie Satonaka (Lv25), Tomoe Gozen (Lv24):**

**-Strength: 27.**

**-Magic: 14.**

**-Endurance: 25.**

**-Agility: 20.**

**-Luck: 19.**

**-Strong against: Ice.**

**-Weak against: Fire.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Yukiko Amagi (Lv24), Konohana Sakuya (Lv23):**

**-Strength: 16.**

**-Magic: 27.**

**-Endurance: 18.**

**-Agility: 25.**

**-Luck: 23.**

**-Strong against: Fire.**

**-Weak against: Ice.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Kanji Tatsumi (Lv22), Take-Mikazuchi (Lv20):**

**-Strength: 30.**

**-Magic: 15.**

**-Endurance: 27.**

**-Agility: 19.**

**-Luck: 20.**

**-Strong against: Electricity.**

**-Weak against: Wind.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Takuya Akiyama (Lv19), Orpheus (Lv16):**

**-Strength: 23.**

**-Magic: 16.**

**-Endurance: 18.**

**-Agility: 17.**

**-Luck: 14.**

**-Strong against: Fire.**

**-Weak against: Electricity.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

* * *

><p>Takuya having Orpheus as his Persona does NOT mean he's a Wild Card; A Wild Card is something only MC's should be. In the physical description for Orpheus in the previous chapter you might have noticed that his color scheme is different from the original. Just like Adachi's Persona, Magatsu-Izanagi, is a Hunger ArcanaCorrupted version of Izanagi, Takuya's Orpheus is a Corrupted/Hunger Arcana version of Minato's/FeMC Orpheus.

And the reason Takuya has Orpheus instead of a Persona inspired by Japanese mythology is something plot related that will eventually be explained.

Also, the reason I went with Takuya being a Hunger S. Link is because the Hunger Arcana can symbolize the danger of loosing control. What about Adachi, you might be saying?

Adachi has an peculiar role in this tale...


	4. Chapter 4

_**_**Disclaimer: This is a non-profit fan-made story. The Persona Series and characters are property of Atlus.**_**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 4: Strip!?<strong>_

_June 20, 2011_

_Yasogami High school, Class 2-2_

_Takuya's POV_

Kanji was the first one to talk when we arrived at class 2-2.

"You guys see the news?"

"About that Rise chick taking a break at Inaba?" I answered him.

"But why did she choose this town?" Yosuke thought out loud.

Chie was the one to answer.

"I think she used to live here. The news said she was going to her family's tofu shop, right?"

"Tofu shop? You mean Marukyu?" Kanji asked her.

Yu seemed to recognize the name. "Marukyu? That place in the shopping district?"

Yosuke perked up at this. "Wait... are you saying that if I go there I can meet "the Risette" in person!?"

"I'm more worried about the fact that someone staying at Inaba was on TV…" Yu reasoned.

"She's Risette! This isn't the first time she's on TV. But, you might be on something. Okay, I say we pay a visit to that tofu shop to check her out!" Yosuke enthusiastically said. That's my cue.

"Check her out"? *sigh* You have a one track mind, don't you Yosuke-senpai?" I'm with you on that one Kanji.

"I didn't mean it like that!"

Yosuke's perviness aside, checking her out _(not like Yosuke wanted)_ was the best thing we could do at the moment. But considering she hadn't appeared on the Midnight channel we decided to wait, just in case.

* * *

><p><em>June 21, 2011<em>

_Takuya's house_

_3__rd__ person POV_

"…Is that a bikini?"

Takuya tried to concentrate on the silhouette from the screen. The face certainly looked like Rise… but he wasn't able to concentrate on the face.

"_(What is wrong with you!?. Control yourself!)"_

His phone started ringing as he was preoccupied with these thoughts, and he picked it up as soon as he saw Kanji's name flashing on the screen.

"You saw it?" Kanji asked.

"That I did."

"We should go to Senpai's classroom after school to discuss this."

"Sure…"

"You okay dude? You sound weird."

"O-Of course I am! W-Why wouldn't I be!?"

"…okay"

After Kanji ended the call, Takuya shot a quick look at the TV, before shuddering.

"Adolescence…Such a terrible curse."

* * *

><p><em>June 22, 2011<em>

_Yasogami High school, Class 2-2_

_Takuya's POV_

"But was it really her on the Midnight Channel last night? She seemed different…" Chie thought out loud.

We all got together at Narukami's classroom to discuss what we saw last night. Well, the discussing was mostly done by the others. I stayed quiet for most of the time, my mind still thinking about what I saw on the Midnight Channel, and the interview Rise gave the 19th.

"I'm sure it was her! Her curves, her posture… even her beautiful slim legs!" Yosuke said with a creepy smile on his face.

That's my cue.

"You really have a one track mind, don't you? _(But then again, he's kinda right.)_"

I mentally slapped myself at that thought...*sigh* How much longer am I gonna have to wait until puberty hell is over?

Meanwhile, Yosuke gave a quick glance to Chie, with a disappointed expression in his face.

"Hey, if you don't like my legs, don't look at them!"

"Narukami, what do you think about this?

Yukiko was asking Yu about his thoughts about Rise being a potential new victim. He thought she was asking something else…

"Her legs are fine." He answered, making Chie blush while Yosuke had a look of confusion in his face.

"Partner, on this we don't agree."

"…gimme a break." Yeah, I second that, Narukami…

After Yosuke recovered from the hit, we agreed to visit that Tofu shop, which gave my stomach a weird feeling. What the hell was wrong with me today!?

* * *

><p><em>Central District,<em>

_After school_

Yosuke, Yu, Kanji and I went to the Marukyu tofu shop right after school. Chie and Yukiko didn't join us as they had already made plans. Plans more important than investigating murder, apparently. As we arrived, we saw what it looked like a police detective directing traffic.

"Mr Detective?" Yosuke said, trying to gain his attention. "Did something happen?"

"Oh, it's you guys." The detective said as he saw us.

"You know this guy?" I asked the group.

"This is Adachi-san." Yu explained. "He's a detective working on the murder case with my uncle."

Wait, his uncle is a cop? That can't be good...

"I'm just trying to keep the traffic under control." Adachi told us. "People are suddenly going slower when in front of the shop, probably trying to take a peek inside, and its slowing traffic. But I guess it should be expected when Rise Kujikawa is here."

"Risette is here?" Yosuke asked him.

Adachi seemed to realise what he just said, as he nervously laughed. " I gotta take care of some business, see you guys later!" He said as he left in mere seconds.

"I sure feel safe with cops like him around _(But… it might be good for business)_"

At that moment, a more intimidating police officer walked out of the shop. And as my luck usually goes, he turned out to be…

"I told him not to leave his post."

He stopped talking to himself when he noticed us.

"What are you guys doing he- Kanji Tatsumi!? Are you friends with them!?" He said, Kanji's visibly becoming upset over his tone.

"What's up with having two officers here?" I asked him, trying to change the subject.

"Rise Kujikawa just arrived here. We had to take care of people trying to invade her privacy."

"Makes sense. It's not like there's anything more important than a pop idol arriving here going on right now. How 'bout them murders? How are they going?" I said, expecting to at least upset him just like he did with Kanji.

"If you have something to say, say it." He told me instead, showing no sign of discomfort at my attitude. "Don't be a condescending brat about it."

"What was that, old man!?"

We probably would have had a pretty big argument over our respective attitudes at that moment, but Yosuke did the smart thing to do and interrupted us.

"W-we were going to get some tofu at the shop when Adachi told us that Rise was here. Who wouldn't wanna come check if an idol's family ran an ordinary store?"

This seemed to make Dojima forget the situation "Fine. But try not to bother her too much. She might be a celebrity but she's trying to enjoy her break."

With that Dojima left, but not without giving me an irritated look. I had the courtesy of returning it.

"That cop's your uncle? ...I feel for ya', Narukami."

"What was that about?" Kanji asked "Are you guys under suspicion?"

Yosuke seemed uncomfortable with the question. "…We might have been caught with weapons in the Junes Food Court."

It didn't take a second for Yu to respond. "It was Yosuke's fault."

"Figures" Kanji and I said as we walked into the shop.

"*sighs* Thanks, partner."

"No problem, partner."

* * *

><p>We entered the shop as people started to get out, disappointed that Rise wasn't there.<p>

Yu and Yosuke quickly entered after us, Yosuke seemingly upset about Yu's earlier accusation.

"Sure enough, no Rise here, just your typical old lady" Yosuke said, his mood souring by the second. "That's a letdown."

Kanji decided to investigate some more, as he made his way to the counter to talk with the old lady there. " 'scuse me!"

Just as Kanji said that, an old lady showed up right next to us.

"Can I help?"

"What the-!?" Yosuke said with a surprised tone. "Then who is that?"

We looked at the counter as Yosuke said that, and saw Kanji standing next to what we thought was an old lady. She quickly turned around to face us, and my heart felt like it did that exact same motion.

But Kanji was pretty calm in this situation. "Are you Rise?"

"…So?"

At the sound of that single word, Yosuke and Yu walked next to her, while I did the same, albeit slower and holding my stomach region. Why was this happening?

"No way… are you really Risette!?" Yosuke said with enthusiasm.

"What do you want?" Rise said with an annoyed tone, probably used to deal with annoying stalkers already.

"Huh? Oh, right, we were going to order some tofu… which one was it again?"

Kanji facepalmed at this. "*sigh* three ganmodoki."

"I'll go get them then." Rise answered.

She started walking to where the ganmodoki was, but on the way she accidentally rubbed my hand with hers. The weird feeling in my stomach intensified and I was 100% certain that I was blushing. Again, this isn't the best moment to show your ugly face, puberty!.

"She's nothing like she seems on TV" Yosuke muttered. "… is she tired? …. Wait, we haven't done what we came here for!" He turned his attention to Rise. "h-have you seen anything weird lately?"

Rise's raised his eyebrow at this question. "Weird? Like stalkers? Are you guy's fans of mine?"

"I wouldn't say we, but this dude here is a pretty big fan." Kanji said while pointing at Yosuke.

"What are you talking about!?"

"'Her curves, her posture, her beautiful slim legs'…you done checking them out?

"Did you have to say it out loud!?"

"Of course!" Wow, Kanji was getting snarkier.

"A-anyway, maybe you know already, but it's been dangerous in Inaba lately, and we have been investigating…Have you heard about a certain TV channel called—"

"The Midnight Channel?" Rise interrupted. "Yeah, I saw it last night. I heard the rumours from some friends of mine. But that girl wasn't me; I've never been filmed wearing that swimsuit and the bust line…"

Yosuke was now the one to raise his eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Mine aren't that big." Rise said while trying to look away from us.

"Oh, yeah, I see what you mean now…"

"Now?" Kanji immediately said as a smirk formed on my face. "It you long enough considering how focused you were on them."

"Would you stop it already!?"

That managed to get a laugh out of Rise. "You're funny."

"*grumble* That's my job."

"You said something, Takuya?"

"Nevermind..."

"In any case," Yu interrupted, finally talking after entering the shop "We think that the people that appear in that show could be killed, just like the two murder victims here at Inaba."

"I know this is sudden, but we are not lying. That's why we thought you should know about it." Kanji said.

Rise seemed to stop to think about what we just said for a minute. "Hmm…. Thanks, I'll be careful."

After our little conversation she gave Yosuke the ganmodoki he asked for.

"Here you go, there's extra tofu in there as a little thanks to you guys."

"Yosuke-senpai, you can't eat tofu right? Want me to take yours?"

"Hell no! I always eat what people give me."

"That explains a lot…" Yu said. That managed to get a second laugh out of Rise, but she still acted gloomy; probably stress from dealing with...um...whatever famous people have to deal with.

"*sighs* I'm going home. I can't seem to win today."

Yosuke quickly went home. The rest of us were about to go as well, but…

"Uh, oh…" Rise's grandma said as she peaked outside the door of the shop.

"What's wrong?" I asked her before taking a peek outside. "Oh great, it seems we have a leech problem..." The rest of the people inside the shop took a peek outside after I said this, and they all saw a few reporters making their way towards the entrance of the shop.

_3__rd__ person POV_

"*groan*, just what I needed…is there any reporter that's aware of the concept of personal space?" Rise said as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"That would be asking to much of them." Takuya dryly replied.

"Maybe we can cause a distraction to let Rise-san escape…" Yu suggested.

"Oh, you don't need to do anything. She's used to dealing with things like these, right, Rise-chan?" Rise's grandma answered as she looked at Rise…

Or rather, at where Rise was.

"Where'd she go?" Yu thought out loud, scanning the room for Rise.

"She probably went somewhere to hide from those pricks, Senpai" Kanji answered, glaring at the reporters closing by; he recognized one of them as the reporter on that biker special where he showed up.

"Hmm…should we look for her?" Yosuke pondered. "What do you think, Tak-"

Yosuke was about to ask Takuya his opinion, but before finishing the sentence he realized that he wasn't there, and that a window on the back that was previously closed was now fully opened.

"' 'the hell?" Kanji said.

"Good grief…" Yu lightly chuckled as he went next to the window; inspecting the lower part of it he found a small bit of cloth, seemingly ripped of a Yasogami jacket. "A hasty escape..."

_Meanwhile,_

_Samegawa Flood Plain_

After several minutes of avoiding possible reporters (with an ease that surprised Rise), Rise and Takuya were now resting in the Flood Plain stairs, panting as they tried to recover their breath.

"*pant* I think we're safe here" Takuya said as, his eyes examining his jacket. _" Hope Kanji can fix this."_

"You're pretty good at this." Rise replied. "Is running hobby of yours?"

"It's pretty much my entire life philosophy_._" Rise lightly chuckled at the comment, but before she could continue the conversation, the sound of footsteps alerted them to a man in a suit that had approach them.

"Rise-chan?" The man asked as soon a he saw Rise.

"And who might you be?" Takuya asked as he eyed the man suspiciously.

"Wha…" With just a quick look, Rise was able to identify the man. "Inoue-san!? What are you doing here? I already said I'm not interested in the role!" She said.

"Could you just think it over? There's no one better than Rise Kujikawa for it!"

"I know, but…um". Rise's eye quickly scanned the area, trying to come up with a plan; she was about to put to use Takuya's so called life philosophy before she looked at him. "I've decided to abandon showbiz and marry this man once we graduate high school!"

"What!?" Inoue said.

"What!?" Takuya said at the same time, causing Rise to discretely pinch his arm. "I mean...you heard her!"

"But you can't..."

"What do you mean 'she can't'? My girl can do anything she wants! _"Blegh…I can't believe I managed to say that with a straight face...I think I just got a cavity from it!"_

"Y-Yeah! You heard him!" Rise said.

"I understand. But…"

Not wanting to argue with Inoue, Takuya quickly walked got right to him, their faces inches away. "Out. Now."

"…" Inoue quickly left without looking back; the moment he was out of their sight Rise released a breath of relief while Takuya mumbled about Inoue's family doing things biologically impossible.

"Wow…you were kinda harsh with him. "

"Why do you think I was able to go along with your story?" Takuya said with a chuckle.

"Because you're good at acting?"

" 'Cause I'm insincere, and a good liar…"

"Well, that insincerity and talent for lying helped me a lot. Your attitude doesn't immediately make you a bad guy."

"...You got a weird morality perception"

_Takuya's POV_

After waiting until night to reduce the chances of stumbling into any paparazzi, Rise and I manage to finally arrive at the tofu shop without any inconvenience.

"Thanks for helping me out." She said as we arrived. "See you other time, Akiyama-kun!"

"Takuya"

"Huh?"

"Takuya. It's my name. Akiyama-kun sounds way too formal."

"*chuckle* You can call me Risette then."

"What? But that's your artistic name, isn't it?"

"Yeah; that's why you helped me, isn't it? Because I'm Risette…"

Oh, what the hell!? I get when people call me an opportunistic prick when I act like one, but the ONE TIME I actually try to be a nice guy…

"No. I helped you because I was trying to be nice!"

"Yeah, I've heard that…a LOT."

"Not everything revolves around you, you know!"

"Hey, you don't need to shout!"

"Tch…I'm not hanging out with you any time soon."

"Oh, and know you're trying reverse psychology. Again, you're not the first one to try that."

"*groan* For the love of...I don't care if you're Risette or the Empress of Japan; I can't stand self centered whores!"

I think I overdid it with that. The sound of Rise's hand harshly making contact with my cheek resonated in the air just before she turned around to enter into her home. I could still feel the slap as I walked towards my house.

"_(Abandon showbiz; was that an excuse to get rid of that Inoue guy, or…tch, I don't even care anymore.)"_

* * *

><p><strong>Later that day…<strong>

_Takuya's POV_

I watched the Midnight Channel again that night, and sure enough, that looked like Rise again.

…

My phone started ringing as soon as the TV went off. As usual, it was Kanji.

"You saw it?" He asked me.

"It was her, no doubt about it."

"We should go to the tofu shop tomorrow after school. If we are lucky, we might be able to stop the killer!"

"I can't. I have some business to take care of, so I also won't be able to go to school" I said as I ended the call rather quickly.

No time to waste. My list of 'recommended places' was begging to be used.

*sigh* Who am I kidding? I'm still pissed of about yesterday; I hope can get without going near that place tomorrow.

* * *

><p><em>June 23, 2011<em>

_Central district_

I sure could use a coffee right now… at least the last house was worth the effort.

I wasn't going to lack money for quite a while; the same could not be said about my 3 victims from last night. Who would have thought that Hanako Othani's family would have that kind of money just lying around the house…?

"Stop running, dammit!" Hey, I know that voice!

I looked at where Kanji's voice came from, and I witnessed something that seemed like a scene from a TV comedy show. Does it really take that many people to catch a single guy?

For someone of his appearance, the guy could run pretty fast. But luckily he didn't notice me, or my foot blocking his way.

"Dammit!" The guy said as he fell to the ground. I grabbed him by the neck to immobilize him. "How dare assault an ordinary cit-"

"Shut the hell up, murderer!" Kanji said as the rest of the gang finally caught up. Why were all of them chasing this guy? I thought they were gonna be at the tofu shop.

"M-murderer? What are you talking abo—"

"It's no use playing dumb!" Chie shouted at him.

"I just really like Risette, so I wanted to take a peek in her room…"

"Hmm..." Chie squinted her eyes to examine the guy, just before looking at Yosuke." You know this guy ?"

" What are you trying to imply!?"

" Yep, you're the culprit alright. No two ways about it." Adachi was here too? "I'll take it from here. Thank you guys for your help! But you should try not to get involved with this stuff. Dojima-san was worried sick."

Adachi handcuffed the suspicious man and walked away with a big grin on his face. Somebody wants a promotion, I guess.

"Rest is up to the cops." Kanji thought out loud.

I sighed at this. "Awesome, that's certainly reassuring…"

"Looks like the killer was a pervert, just like we thought." Chie said.

"Hey, we should let Rise know the good news!" Yosuke decided. Great, there goes the one goal I had for today.

We all went to Rise's tofu shop (albeit I tried to stay as far away from the entrance as I could), but Rise's grandmother came out of the shop as we were about to enter.

"Oh, did you come to see Rise? She seems to have gone out…"

"But wasn't she just here a moment ago?" Yosuke said, with a tone of voice that seemed to be slightly worried.

"She does this sometimes. Wonder off without a word…"

"She left…without saying anything?" Yosuke repeated, worry becoming more apparent.

"Could that mean-".Yukiko started to say.

"Let's try looking for her…" I told the group, who seemed to be absorbed in their thoughts. I decided to bring them back to reality. "Come on!"

"Yeah, let's go!" Yosuke answered.

Me and Yu went looking for her in the Junes area, while Chie and Yukiko went to the riverbank area, and Kanji and Yosuke went to the school area.

_3__rd__ person POV_

"What's up with Takuya?". Kanji wondered out loud. "He seems more stressed than usual…"

"And more of a dick than usual." Yosuke answered. "…Wait, you think it's could be for Rise!?"

"Huh? What does that have to do with anything?".

"And he's the one that makes fun of me!" Yosuke said as he went back to the tofu shop, laughing along the way while leaving behind a confused Kanji.

_Takuya's POV_

We all reunited back at the tofu shop, but judging at our facial expressions, it didn't seem like any of us had much success.

Yu was the first one to speak. "We didn't find anything."

"Same here." Kanji added.

"Is there somewhere we haven't looked?". Yukiko wondered.

"*sighs* The weatherman said it's gonna rain tonight, so lets cross our fingers." Was all Kanji could come up with.

Well, that was anything we could come up with.

**Evening**

_June 23, 2011_

_Takuya's house._

After searching for Rise all day, it took me a lot of willpower (and a few slaps to my own face) to stay awake until the Midnight Channel showed up. Just as I felt my eyes were starting to close too much for my liking, the TV turned on and showed what looked like a strip club; it didn't take long for Rise came out, wearing just a bikini.

Any sleepiness I had disappeared.

"Maru-Q! It's me, Risette! And this time…I'm about to take on the most extreme challenge!"

I didn't say anything, as I was too busy trying to find the remote to press the record button.

"I'm going to… strip for you!"

"OH GOD!" Was my reaction. "That's...not good?"

"*squeals* I'm so embarrassed! ...but if I'm gonna do it, I might as well go all the way! So stay tuned for a very special show…"

I get into a fight with Rise, then she gets kidnapped, then her Shadow announces she's gonna strip on the Midnight Channel...can this get any worse?

I picked up the remote and pressed the record button again to stop the recording; afterwards I reminded and pressed the play button to see...

"Static..."

This have been the worst two days of my life.

* * *

><p><em><strong>To be continued on the next chapter: <strong>_

"_**Scion of Death"**_

* * *

><p><strong>Persona and user status:<strong>

**Yu Narukami (Lv26), Wild Card, Izanagi(Main) (Lv23):**

**-Strength: 25.**

**-Magic: 18.**

**-Endurance: 23.**

**-Agility: 23.**

**-Luck: 21.**

**-Strong against: Electricity.**

**-Weak against: Wind.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Yosuke Hanamura (Lv25), Jiraya (Lv22):**

**-Strength: 20.**

**-Magic: 15.**

**-Endurance: 19.**

**-Agility: 29.**

**-Luck: 5.**

**-Strong against: Wind.**

**-Weak against: Electricity.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Chie Satonaka (Lv25), Tomoe Gozen (Lv24):**

**-Strength: 27.**

**-Magic: 14.**

**-Endurance: 25.**

**-Agility: 20.**

**-Luck: 19.**

**-Strong against: Ice.**

**-Weak against: Fire.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Yukiko Amagi (Lv24), Konohana Sakuya (Lv23):**

**-Strength: 16.**

**-Magic: 27.**

**-Endurance: 18.**

**-Agility: 25.**

**-Luck: 23.**

**-Strong against: Fire.**

**-Weak against: Ice.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Kanji Tatsumi (Lv22), Take-Mikazuchi (Lv20):**

**-Strength: 30.**

**-Magic: 15.**

**-Endurance: 27.**

**-Agility: 19.**

**-Luck: 20.**

**-Strong against: Electricity.**

**-Weak against: Wind.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**

**Takuya Akiyama (Lv19), Orpheus (Lv16):**

**-Strength: 23.**

**-Magic: 16.**

**-Endurance: 18.**

**-Agility: 17.**

**-Luck: 14.**

**-Strong against: Fire.**

**-Weak against: Electricity.**

**-Special Ability: Undiscovered.**


End file.
